​​​PASADENA - France-based Total SA has opened its new $100 million investment—Bayport plant.

The new high-purity special fluids facility was built within Total’s existing Port Rd. operations and employs approximately 110 people.

The construction phase was completed in a little more than a year and created approximately 400 jobs.

Total modeled the plant on a similar facility in France, making it the second hydro de-aromatization plant in the world.

It will produce a range of 40 different high-purity special fluids for customers across several industries, including pharmaceuticals, crop protection, water treatment, printing inks, paints and coatings, and cosmetics.

It also will produce synthetic biodegradable fluids for on- and offshore drilling.

Total, a global integrated energy producer and provider, has its U.S. headquarters in Houston.

The Gulf Coast is a booming region for chemical projects. Between 2010 and 2023, more than 200 U.S. chemical production projects worth $147 billion are expected to have been completed.